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Fatigue and creep testing of adhesives and thermoplastic joined systems.

Author(s):

Broughton, W R, Dean, G D

Source:

Measurement Good Practice Guide No. 104, March 2007

ISSN:

1368-6550

ISBN:

NPL Doc. Ref:

PDB: 4650 | DDB: 1236

Document Type:

Guide

DOI:

Note: An asterisk after an author's name indicates a non-NPL author.

Abstract:

Welded thermoplastic and adhesively bonded joints are expected to retain a significant proportion of their load bearing capacity for the entire duration of the service life of the joined system. However, service conditions can often involve exposure to static and/or cyclic fatigue loading conditions. Fatigue damage can be particularly harmful to the structural integrity of bonded joints, shortening the life expectancy of the joined system by considerable margins, and is known to occur at relatively low stress levels, particularly in the presence of hostile environments. Similarly, premature failure can occur in bonded joints and welded thermoplastics under static loading conditions with deformation occurring at relatively low loads. This Good Practice Guide is intended to give guidance on fatigue testing of adhesively bonded joints and creep testing of bonded joints and welded thermoplastics for generating design data and for quality assurance purposes. The document is primarily concerned with structural adhesives and thermoplastics.